How I Thrive on a Plant-Based Diet

We've all heard the expression "You are what you eat." Increasingly, that's the case with the North American diet. Over consumption of highly processed foods and eating for stimulation instead of nourishment is taking its toll on our collective health.

It's time to make a change and start eating with purpose to live well.

At the age of 15, I got serious about fitness, gradually increasing my running and cycling and then adding swimming to the list. I became a serious triathlete after high school and spent my entire life training. It became important to maximize the nourishment and energy I could acquire from food so my body could recover more quickly from all the physical activity. That's when I realized that a plant-based diet is the most efficient way to eat.

I developed the Thrive Diet with the idea of efficiency in mind. The Thrive Diet is an approach to eating that maximizes the health benefits of food, reduces stress and increases energy without stimulants. And it's simple if you follow three logical steps:

Eat foods for high-net-gain nutrition. The goal is to invest as little digestive energy as possible to get the most value for the food we eat. Highly processed foods require more digestive energy. Natural, unrefined food takes less energy to digest, so the best approach is to shift carbohydrate intake from refined pastas and breads to fruits and pseudograins (like quinoa or wild rice).

Choose alkaline forming foods. Based on a diet of highly processed foods and stimulants, many people have a higher acid level in their bodies, which can leave them feeling tired, bloated and weak. Alkaline helps blood neutralize acid, so eating foods rich in chlorophyll and minerals, like lemons, grapefruits, mangoes, asparagus, beets and broccoli, can help achieve pH balance.

Acquire energy through nourishment not stimulation. It's more tempting than ever to eat foods that are high in refined sugar or to drink coffee to get short-term energy. The ensuing energy crash is what I call biological debt. Focus instead on nutrient dense, whole foods -- choose nuts over chips, fruit or vegetable juice over pop.

The Thrive approach is about knowing what foods to choose at your grocery or health food store. If you stock your pantry with the best foods, making the switch to a plant-based, whole foods diet will be that much easier.

In my most recent book, The Thrive Energy Cookbook, I've included a food pyramid that will help you select the right foods. Here are some ideas to get you started on a healthy, plant-based diet, including how much of each type of food the average person should consume each day.

Consider gradually introducing more of these foods into your diet and see how you feel. The more you can steer away from processed foods and meats and toward whole, plant based foods, the better you'll feel and the more you're likely to see the results. Combine this with regular exercise and you'll be Thriving in no time.

A former professional Ironman triathlete, Brendan is a two-time Canadian 50k ultra marathon champion, the creator of the award-winning VEGA line of whole food nutritional products, and the bestselling author of The Thrive Diet and The Thrive Cookbook. One of the foremost authorities on plant-based nutrition, Brendan will be presenting at the canfitpro Consumer Fitness + Wellness Show at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Saturday, August 9 at 2:30 p.m.

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Best And Worst Vegan/Vegetarian Alternatives

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The Taste: "These are freaking awesome. They’re delicious and great in a Philly cheesesteak sandwich. I got these when I lived in Seattle, but now live in the U.K. and miss these things hard." (Gardein is sold in Canada)
Health Watch: 70 calories per 28 grams
— Emily, L.

The Taste: "I can use them for any dish which would call for chicken. They have a very nice seasoning which I have found is sometimes lost if they're on the BBQ, so usually I opt for sautéing so that I don't lose the juices!"
Health Watch: 150 calories per one breast
— Cathy, St. Catharines, Ont.

The Taste: A great way to make your pizza meatless. These pepperoni slices are made with several spices and garlic and onion powder. Also, they are not "chewy."
Health Watch: 60 calories per six slices
— Arti, Toronto

The Taste: "It's a little sweet, but good in bagels and really good for making cupcake icing!"
Health Watch: 90 calories per two tbsp
— Sanja, Toronto

The Taste: "The best milk substitute that I have had was the Blue Diamond Unsweetened Almond Milk and the Silk Vanilla Almond Milk. The Blue Diamond brand is definitely better for you but the Silk brand tastes and feels more like cow's milk."
Health Watch: 40 calories per serving
— Vanessa, Toronto

The Taste: " My husband and daughters (who all eat meat) will often choose them over the 'real' thing!" Check out a review here.
Health Watch: 120 calories per five meatballs
— Cathy, St. Catharines, Ont.

The Taste: The patty is rich in texture and tastes best when grilled. And this may bother you, but they actually taste like chicken.
Health Watch: 100 calories per one patty
— Arti, Toronto

The Taste: "So Delicious coconut yogurt tastes even better than I remember dairy yogurt was! So good with granola and fresh fruit!"
Health Watch: 50 calories per four ounces
— Ashley, Ottawa

The Taste: "Only one I can find made 100 per cent from organic vegetables — no soy protein or emulsifiers, just vegetables. But please don't go and buy them all... they are hard to find in Ottawa!"
Health Watch: 110 calories per one burger
— Jason, Ottawa

The Taste: "This is the only hemp milk I have tried that is cream, does not curdle, has numerous health benefits and tastes great."
Health Watch: Made with hemp nut base
— Alanna Zabel, Los Angles

The Taste: These vegetarian nuggets are crispy, flavourful and have the right amount of spice. I was once told this tasted like actual chicken nuggets, and they do. Try them with a BBQ sauce or bake them in the oven with veggies.
Health Watch: 80 calories per four balls
— Arti, Toronto

The Taste: "Mad Faux Cheese offer artisanal, locally-made, nut-based cheeses that are absolutely delicious! I've introduced every flavour available to my omnivorous friends and family, who often don't realize the cheeses are vegan at first." (Only available in Ottawa.)
— Jenn, Montreal

The Taste: "Sol Cuisine does a whole range of gluten-free meat substitutes, which is a big relief for anyone with gluten sensitivities. I recently discovered their meatless chicken, which is quick and convenient and comes with a variety of sauces on the side. I cook it from frozen in the wok: instant, tasty protein."
Health Watch: 60 calories per 1/4 of the package
— Fiona, Ottawa

The Taste: The best part of these chicken strips? The white "meat." These grain-based chicken pieces (which taste amazing with salad), are flavourful and ideal for quick party snacks.
Health Watch: 190 calories per four strips
— Arti, Toronto

The Taste: "It tastes like real cheese and it's so good on pizza. It melts well too. All others have too much vanilla flavouring (gross)."
Health Watch: 70 calories per 28 grams
— Sanja, Toronto

The Taste: " I like having an option to add to my breakfast on the weekends. Other people get sausages and bacon -- I just fry up a few slices of veggie ham and, voila, the missing link!."
Health Watch: 100 calories per four slices
— Devon, M. Toronto

The Taste: "These are so good and easy — just make sure to flip them once in the oven for the best texture. What I like about the Gardein options is that they offer a variety of dinner-ready meat substitutes, so all you have to do is cook these according to the directions, add a side or two and you're ready to eat."
Health Watch: 120 calories per 75 grams (without sauce)
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The Taste: "I particularly love the Apple Sage flavour. I really like that they're made without soy because I don't like eating soy every day so it's nice to be able to avoid it and still get protein." (The main ingredient is "grain meat," according to the company.)
Health Watch: 90 calories per one sausage
— Marlee, Montreal

The Taste: Buy them fresh. These meatballs taste great with pasta and can be smashed to make your own meatball ground.
Health Watch: 80 calories per four balls
— Arti, Toronto

The Taste: "This flavour is just too much. It's just too chemical-tasting. I like the other flavours of this tempeh brand, but I have to pass on this one."
Health Watch: 130 calories per seven slices
— Devon, M. Toronto

The Taste: "This was the first vegan cheese I ever tried, and I was really, really unprepared for it. I tried to eat it as part of a salad with couscous, in place of my old favourite feta cheese. I think it’s made to be melted rather than eaten alone... but I was not impressed."
Health Watch: 70 calories per 28 grams
— Emily, L.

The Taste: "Daiya is OK sometimes in small quantities with lots of other ingredients and only when melted, like on a pizza or nachos, but even then, it's not my favourite. Definitely not enough to keep me away from actual cheese!"
Health Watch: 60 calories per one slice
— Marlee, Montreal